"That could be a shark down there!" hollers pilot Kyle Mills as he gestures out the window of the four-seater Cessna in the direction of the breakers off Tathra Beach.
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I tightly grab the safety grip as Mills simultaneously descends and banks to the left for a closer look at the waters off the popular surf beach.
At first, I can only see dozens of sun-seekers scattered between the flags who, with their colourful bathers and towels contrasted against the honey-coloured sand, resemble over-sized hundreds and thousands. However, as Mills descends further, we get low enough to make out the brand names emblazoned on their towels and as Mills tracks out over the water, together we intently look out for the tell-tale silhouette of a shark.
However, our search is in vain and after circling twice, Mills eventually shrugs his shoulders. Phew! It must have been a false alarm. Perhaps a patch of seaweed, or a shadow from passing cloud? Nonetheless, with a tragic attack of an ocean swimmer at Tathra in April last year, it's better safe than sorry, so just to make sure, Mills circles the beach for one last time.
Thankfully, again no sign of a shark, all we notice are just some harmless gestures from a group of teenagers playing frisbee on the sand.
With the beach "safe", Mills continues on his beach patrol out over the top of Tathra's landmark carrot-coloured wharf and further north over the wilds of Mimosa National Park.
Joining the Sapphire Coast Beach Patrol is so much more than shark spotting, for this wide-eyed akubra-clad columnist, it's a revelation.
Regular readers will be aware that this column has spent more than 30 summers exploring what I thought was every nook and cranny of this spectacular stretch of coast. From fishing its tranquil estuaries in a tinnie, to kayaking to secret ocean caves, I thought I knew this stretch of coastline better than most. However, observing its splendour from the air, especially when Mills barely climbs his Cessna above 500ft for the duration of the flight, really does take your breath away.
The first eye-opener is just how unpopulated this part of the coast is. Apart from the townships of Tathra, Merimbula and Eden, the vista is dominated by dramatic sea cliffs, interspersed with deserted beach after deserted beach, and backed by verdant forest. The second is that, yes, the water really is sapphire-coloured. Delightfully so.
I guess it helps that this morning is one of those a picture-perfect days. The sea breeze is gentle, the sky is blue and down below there's just enough swell to add to the stunning seascape by creating those creamy white swell lines as far as the eye can see.
Just south of Bournda Island (you really can see it is an island from the air) Mills again motions animatedly towards the water, Is it a shark this time? On first glance it looks more like a giant sinkhole.
Mills expertly manoeuvres his Cessna in for a closer look. "I've never seen a school of fish that so close to the coast!" exclaims Mills, as I fire off a number of photos of what Mills believes is a huge school of Australian salmon.
While over the top of Merimbula Lake, Mills hands me the binoculars to see if I can spot the elusive dugong which has captivated locals this month. I don't see the out-of-place marine mammal, but from this height the myriad of oyster beds resembles a giant game of join the dots. The patterns left in the sandy lake shore by the outgoing tide are equally as striking. One looks like a dragon, the other if you squint your eyes could be a dugong. OK, well, sort of.
Further south, off Haycock Point, dolphins pose for the camera as they frolic in the shallows and over Eden, we sadly have to turn around, but not before I catch a photo of its Twofold Bay framed by the imposing Mt Imlay.
Less than an hour after we took to the skies, we arrive back on terra firma at Merimbula airport. Sure, we didn't spot any sharks, (which surely is a good thing for both locals and Canberrans enjoying some salt-water therapy at this time of year), but this is an experience that will stay with me forever.
As a travel writer, I've had the privilege of viewing many of the world's landscapes from the air, from a scenic flight over the wondrous wetlands of Kakadu to jaw-dropping joy flights over the wilds of the Rockies and the Grand Canyon. However, none of these exceeded expectations as much as today's adventure.
If the south coast is your summer playground, beg, borrow, steal (or ask Santa!) for a ticket to join Mills on one of his summer sorties.
PS: From my vantage spot in Mills' co-pilot seat, I even managed to pick out a couple of secluded beaches which I soon plan to trek into. So if the big jolly man in red does happen to leave a ticket on the Merimbula Beach Patrol under your Christmas tree later this week, once airborne, look out for me. I'll be the one waving with a tattered akubra.
Merry Christmas!
Fact file
Beach patrol: Merimbula Air Services offer a range of scenic flights from a $55pp (for a 10-minute flight over Merimbula) to the low level Beach Patrol, which costs $175pp (children half price). Gift vouchers available for Christmas. All flights are subject to minimum numbers. A similar range of flights are also available ex-Moruya Airport. Ph: (02) 6495 1074 or web: mairserv.com.au
Did you know: If a shark is spotted and is assessed to be a danger or threat to swimmers, then the pilot will change the revs of the engine of the aircraft by gently manipulating the throttle in and out, thus alerting the life guards.
Dugong drawcard
An elusive dugong (Dugong dugon) grazing on seagrass in and around Merimbula Lake is wooing both locals and tourists alike.
Since it was first sighted in Merimbula Lake in late November, a number of nature lovers have spent hours trying to catch a glimpse of the out-of-place visitor, whose usual habitat is in the warmer subtropical and tropical waters of northern Australia.
One of those successful in their quest is Harrison Warne, a 19-year-old zoology student, who even managed to capture a photo of the mysterious marine mammal.
"It was surprisingly fast and also seemed pretty nervous," says Warne. "It seemed a bit spooked, especially because there are so many boats in the lake and one had just gone right over the top of it."
Rangers are urging sightseers to keep their distance, especially if in boats, as dugongs often bask on the surface to warm up and, of course, breathe.
If you spot any unusual critters either in, or out of the water this festive season. I'd love to hear from you via the address at the end of this column.
Did you know? Dugongs, which have a lifespan of more than 70 years, are globally listed as vulnerable to extinction, due to slow rates of reproduction, coupled with hunting, loss of habitats and marine pollution.
Contact Tim: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/o The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. You can see a selection of past columns at: canberratimes.com.au/act-news/by/tim-the-yowie-man
Where on the south coast?
Clue: Saturdays is market day. Oh, and "folk" like to flock here every February.
Degree of difficulty: Medium
Last week: Congratulations to Paul Rankin of Ainslie who was first to correctly identify last week's photo, sent in by Debbie Cameron, as the historic, but currently broken, water fountain on Paterson Street, Ainslie.
Rankin, who walks his dog along Paterson Street almost every day, reveals that his family has drunk out of the bubbler for a long time. "Dad grew up in the same house in the 1930s and now I am raising my two children here," says Rankin, who "hopes it is fixed again soon, so we can continue the tradition."
Meanwhile, the photo brought back childhood memories for Chris McGirr of Jeramadra who recalls the bubbler "provided a welcome drink in summer on the way home from school", adding, "it was antique then and I'm on the wrong side of 50!"
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday December 19, 2015 with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.
